A/N: Hello everyone. I know I didn't upload this chapter yesterday, I had a emergency and had to take care of that all day yesterday so I wasn't able to even start this chapter until today. I am going to try and upload the next chapter later today for you guys, hopefully I can.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter

Chapter 14: Attempt Escape, part 1

Slowly, his hand pulled away from hers to fall back to his side. Stepping back, tried to think of what to do. He had Gustave's daughter as his hostage, it couldn't have been planned better. However, she was also the woman who helped him escape from the prison years ago. He owed her in some way and letting her go was what she wanted. He was torn on what to do. Well the next village is a day ride from here…he could think about it on the way to the village and decide what to do. Turning to his men who were waiting patiently with confused looks on their faces, he gave his order.

"They're coming with us. Mount up, we're leaving." Christine's eyes widen as she realized they weren't being released.

"B-But…" She grabbed Erik's arm, making him stop and turned back around to face her. "You can't do this. After what I've done for you." He hated how right she was. He should let her go.

"I have not decided on what to do with you. The boy is coming with us, but I'm not sure about you." He told her, ignoring the fact her hand was still on his arm.

"So you are just going to drag me along and when you decide, leave me somewhere?" She released his arm.

"No, you'd be left at a village not far from here."

"And how do you know they won't kill me once they find out who I am?" She asked him. He could see the fear in her eyes. He stepped forward, almost closing the space between their bodies.

"Trust me…" He softly spoke to her, making her lips part slightly. Could she trust him? Taking a step back, he turned to walk over to his horse. A soldier walked over to her to help her up onto a horse. Her eyes watched as Erik lifted himself up onto his horse.

"Hold on there, lass." The soldier warned her. Looking behind her, she saw William with another soldier.

"Tiugainn! (Let's go!)" With the order, the group rode off. Christine held onto the soldier in front of her as they rode away. A few times, she glanced around to see if she find anything she recognized, but nothing looked familiar. She has never been this far into enemy territory and she knew they were going deeper into Scotland.

After what seemed like hours of riding, Erik ordered a halt. Thankful to get off the horse, she didn't bother waiting for the soldier to help her off. Landing on the ground, she stumbled a little before gaining her balance. Fixing her dress, she noticed how dirty the fabric was becoming and sighed. This was one of her favorite dresses and now, she doubted she could save the fabric from being ruined. Looking around at her surroundings, she noticed a stream just a few yards from the group. Some of the men were letting their horses drink while others used the water to drink as well. Glancing over to where Erik was standing, she took in his appearance. He was still the towering giant he was years ago, the strong built never changed. She remembered seeing his strength at the prison and knew that he was still the strong man that the rumors claimed to be. His dark chocolate hair seemed to almost match hers, though not as curly. The thick locks stopped short of his shoulders, his broad muscular shoulders. She noticed a beard starting to grow, but she could still make the outline of his jaw. His right side of his face though was puzzling to her; it was covered by a black leather mask. She wondered why he wore it and just on that side. Maybe I'll find out before he leaves me alone somewhere…

Remembering that, she realized she had to get away from here. She knew they were miles from any village, but she knew that her father would be looking for her and William. If they escaped, they could try and catch up with the English and be saved. Seeing Erik busy talking with some soldiers while the others pay no attention to her, she figured it was now or never. Walking over to William, she quickly whispered the plan to him. At first, he wasn't sure of it. It was risky and who knows what Erik would do if he caught them. But it was a risk they would take if they wanted to be get back home. Walking down to the stream, she saw two soldiers standing there.

"Pardon me, but could I have a moment in privacy?" She asked him kindly. They looked at each other before nodding and walking away to give her some privacy. Taking the chance, William and Christine quickly tried crossing the stream without drawing attention to themselves. By the time they reached the other side, they made a run for it. She couldn't believe how well her plan was working, but she knew Erik would notice them gone and come after them.

It didn't take long for Erik to noticed that Christine and William weren't around and when he heard that she was last seen by the stream, he was furious with the two soldiers. Mounting his horse, he galloped rode across the stream as the other soldiers followed him, both on foot and horseback. Glancing up at the sky, he noticed the sun had already set and soon it would be too dark to find them. Dismounting his horse, he figured it would be easier to track them on foot.

"Sure would be easier if Hunter was here." A soldier commented, making Erik nod. Hunter was the best tracker and hunter in all of Scotland and probably England. Erik always enjoyed hunting with him because he could track food faster than anyone else…and he was good company on hunts. However, Hunter was currently on another mission for Bruce and he wouldn't see the man until reaching camp.

"Captain, I found footprints!" A soldier shouted.

"Follow them! They couldn't have gotten far!" He ordered. The men continued to search for the two, hoping to find them before it got too dark. At one point, Erik found a tore piece of fabric that he knew was from Christine's dress. Taking the torn fabric, he knew she was nearby. He decided to stay still, not making a sound. Closing his eyes, he let his hearing be his eyes. He listened to every sound that the woods made from the flapping of a bird's wing to the humming a bug flying pass his face. Though he wasn't as experienced as Hunter, he was taught the different sounds. Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of something moving close by. It was too loud for a deer or any creature he knew. It must be her…Opening his eyes, he saw her. Seeing him, she turned and ran, only to have him run after her. He quickly gained speed and was catching up to her. Just as he was about to grab her, she tripped over a fallen branch. Landing on the ground, she quickly turned onto her back only to have him land on top of her. She yelped as she felt the force and weight of him crushing down on her. Quickly, his arms lifted him up as he looked down at her, making sure she was alright. Trying to catch her breath, her eyes looked up at his. It was then they realized the position of their bodies. At some point, one of Christine's leg must have shifted and ended up resting against the outside of his leg while this other thigh was pressed against a very private part of her body. She could feel something hard against her lower stomach. They kept their eyes locked on each other, forgetting about the world around them. Her lips parted slightly as her breathing settled. "Bòidheach...(beautiful)" He whispered softly. Hearing the word, she was curious of that he meant. The way he said it though, there was something in his voice that made her heart race.

He had never intended on falling on top of her, but he did and now he seemed unable to move off of her. It was like his body didn't want to move, wanting to be next to her, feeling the contact of her body. What is this woman doing to me? And why did I just say that? Before he could answer his own questions, he felt something stabbing his back. What the-? Turning his head, he saw William standing behind him, holding the sword and pointing it so the tip was digging into his back.

"Get off my cousin or I'll kill you right here." He threatened. For a moment, Erik was stunned. He almost could have been killed and by a boy too. He never let his guard down, but somehow he did and now he had a sword digging into his back. Pushing the sword away from him, he got off Christine and stood towering over the boy. Not saying a word, he walked pass the boy, but heard a big sigh of relief as he walked away. Christine sat up, slowly coming back from whatever cloud she was on. "What was that about?" William asked her. She looked at him, the confused look on his face matched her. She wasn't sure what exactly happened, but something did happen. Standing up, she brushed her dress off. One of the soldiers who she knew was called Seten was standing there.

"What does…boi-d-he-ach mean?" She asked him. He looked at her before she added. "He said but I didn't understand."

"Beautiful." He answered. "Bòidheach means beautiful." He called me beautiful…

If it helps to picture Erik's appearance, I used Gerard Butler's character from Timeline to help so use that reference to get an idea of Erik's appearance.

Reviews are welcome : )